Temporary Shower

Yay I am finally done studying for Step 2 ck!!! Because I regretted not documenting my thoughts after Step 1, I thought I should hurry and document my thoughts for Step 2. Overall,  I think I was WAY less stressed about Step 2. Maybe this is because I have literally been prepping for it this whole year or maybe I was just so burned out, I couldn't bring myself to care. Either way, I am really glad I allotted 6 weeks for this. My school only recommends 4 weeks and some people find that 2 weeks is enough but for me, it was nice to leisurely work through UWorld and have my evenings off. Resources used: UWorld: definitely the best resource. In fact, I think you can do quite well on the test if you really know and understand everything in world. Master the Boards: very sparse on details but good in the week leading up to the test as a final review Kaplan qbank: I did like 500 question from it but didn't find it all that helpful. Their explanations were definitely not as good...

Now that I am done with third year, I feel like I can share some wisdom on what to do for each rotation. Coming back from a 4 year leave of absence, I was definitely at a disadvantage knowledge-wise but I managed to honor 4/7 clerkships, high pass 2/7, and sadly only pass surgery. That said, I don't regret any of the resources I used and think anyone can get honors with the right mindset and the right study material. I hope some of you find this useful. General Advice You always have to try your best in clinic. It sucks when people ignore you or doesn't like you but swallow your pride and try to please them. At most schools, evals from your residents/attendings make up a good portion of your clerkship grade so do not overlook the importance of showing up early, being prepared, and being eager to learn. That said, don't play "the game". Go home when they tell you to go home. Don't try to outshine everyone around you. Instead, spend your free time at w...

I did it! I am officially done with MSIII forever!!!! We just got our grades back for Family Medicine so now I can breath a sign of relief that I passed everything. YAY! Reflections: Things I liked: - The hours!!! My attending worked 6am-6pm because he liked to get in early and review his patient's charts. I only worked 8-5 but having nights and weekends is wonderful! - The breadth. I like seeing kids and adults Things I disliked - The monotony. It seemed like we saw the same things every day: diabetes diabetes diabetes! - The patients. I am sorry to say this but I learned I am just NOT interested in outpatient. I first thought this might be because I had been shadowing too much before so if I saw and worked up patients on my own, it would be more fun but I was wrong. I find it all really boring and tiring and I find it hard relating to patients who aren't really sick, who are not compliant with their meds, and who always just wants more meds. 

Third year ended without much fan-fare....though there may have been some unattractive crying on my part the last 2 weeks because I hated family medicine so much. I don't even know what it was...burn out? boredom? apathy? Anyways, I didn't even work that hard and I just dreaded going to work every day. I would mentally tick off how many patients I had to see and by the end, I was ALWAYS exhausted. I don't know how family medicine doctors do it. The 15min sessions followed by patient care notes is exhausting. More on that later when I get my FM grade back and when I write my obligatory "likes" and "dislikes". What am I doing now you ask? Well....I am currently laying in bed at 3pm in my PJs. Yup you heard me right! I have free this summer! And by free I mean, I am studying for Step 2 CK, Step 2 CS, and then the GMAT. By the time I am done with all these tests, it will be the start of fall semester and I will be an official business student. Weird but e...

I have some other news…I have decided to take another year off before my last year of med school. I applied for both a bioengineering masters program called bioinnovate and the joint MD/MBA program and I got into both! After much thought and soul-searching, I have decided to pursue an MBA. This means I will have to study for the GMAT after I take Step 2 this summer but then off to something totally different from medicine and science! The truth is I have always thought I would get an MBA. Ever since I learned how important business is in the art of medicine, I’ve wanted to get more training. I am thinking about doing more and more administrative type work as I grow older and having an MBA will definitely help. I just didn’t know I would do it so soon. I primarily wanted a year off because I can’t decide what field to go into, I feel burnt out from this year, and I just needed some time to rediscover why I loved medicine. I looked around for programs to do so I wouldn’t get bo...

I finished Ob/Gyn a little over a week ago and I have to say I liked it more than I thought.   I started on Ob and that first week was HARD. I could not read casefiles fast enough. All those acronyms…all those pregnant ladies and slimy babies really scared the hell out of me but it got better. Once I figured out what I was doing, how to read a strip, write a post-partum note, etc, I really started enjoying myself. The residents and attendings were all super nice so I think that alone alleviated my anxiety. The only thing I didn’t love was working with other medical students and since it is towards the end of third year, my patience is wearing thin. It’s not that I hate the other students. I actually don’t mind them but in a work setting, it can be really stressful watching other people at your same level. It breeds unnecessary competition and stress. In addition, having three students on the service means less things to do for each of us which was great on days I really wante...

Ahhh where has the time gone. I finished Neuro 5 weeks ago and haven’t updated with my thoughts. In honesty, it was a hard but rewarding rotation. At my med school, neuro is only 4 weeks and for someone like me who learned neurology 4 years ago, it was hard to pick up in such a sort amount of time. That being said, I started out on neuro consults for 2 weeks and it was a perfect mix of everything. I saw a variety of patients and had time to study/relearn everything in between.   I then went to pediatric neurology for two weeks and loved it. The attendings were SO nice and I got to work at a hospital literally 10min from my house. It was SO nice not to have to drive an hour each way. That said, I was disappointed with my overall score. I barely missed the honoring mark but all well. I am happy I was able to pick up enough in 4 weeks to high pass. The hardest part was coming off of neurology and onto OB/Gyn. I haven’t been able to catch a break! I felt like I had studied so har...